Food is not a detail you mess around with when playing outdoors. Parking lot BBQs, backcountry gourmet meals, and car camping feasts are a close second to the activities themselves. Primus has been outfitting adventurers with stoves, pots, pans and plenty of other accessories for wilderness dining since 1892, and at this year’s Outdoor Retailer show, they were showing off old classics and lots of new cooking systems.
Cooking over an open fire is a nice concept, but not always reality. Besides, it takes way too long to boil a pot of water the old school way. Primus has just about any type of stove you could want. If you like to use gas canisters, stoves like the Power Cook and ExpressStove Ti are right up your alley. I tested last year’s version of the ExpressStove Ti and loved it so much that it’s still my go-to backpacking stove. If it’s liquid fuel you prefer, then OmniFuel and MultiFuel cooker are what you need. Both of these stoves can be powered by much more than traditional gas, and the MultiFuel will even burn diesel fuel. These are great options if you’re planning on hiking outside of the USA and can’t be sure you’ll find your usual power supply.
You’ll need something to cook these delicious meals in, and Primus has revamped many of their pots and pans. New and improved for 2013 is the Eta series of pots. Primus has taken note of its competitors and is offering their version of cooking systems with integrated wind screens and focused heat points. Using one of the Eta series pots will have you cooking and boiling faster and more efficiently than traditional stove/pot systems. For those of us that simply boil water to rehydrate meals, the Alutech and Titech pots are a good bet. At a price of around $25 the Alutechs are a great deal for BPA free cooking, but if you must have titanium than get ready to shell out: the 20 oz model comes in at $66. A steep price, but with a little TLC you’ll only buy one pot for the rest of your adventuring life.
Brats, burgers and beers…nothing is better on a cold winter day in the parking lot. Primus isn’t fooling around when it comes to tailgate cooking. The FireHole stove comes in three sizes and runs off traditional propane canisters. These stoves are hooked up! The 300 model comes with a light/cooking timer, windscreens that fold down to food prep areas, and cranks out 24,000 BTUs of grilling power. If that seems like a bit too much stove, the Profile series may be more your speed. The two models are stripped down to only the essentials (two burners with space to add a grill surface) but still get the job done. With one of these babies on the tailgate, you’ll be the toast of the next lot rager.
In addition to the stoves and cooking vessels, Primus also has an big selection of accessories. Utensils, prep kits, spice holders…basically, if you need something for cooking and eating outdoors, they have it. I really dug the designs of their vacuum-seal bottles and commuter mugs, these are a great way to transport your coffee and soup in style. This is definitely a company to look at if you need anything food-related. I think the only thing Primus didn’t have at their booth was a fresh stack of flapjacks and a mug of french press, but hey, there’s always next year!